“There are several women in competition, and they’re not there because of their gender, they’re there because of the quality of their work, and we’ll be assessing them as film-makers, as we should be,” the 48-year-old actress expressed at the opening-day jury press conference for the festival (via The Guardian).

“A few years ago there were only two [female directors in competition],” Cate added. “The selection committee now has more women on board than in previous years, which will obviously change the lens through which the films are chosen. But these things are not going to happen overnight.”

“Would I like to see more women in competition? Absolutely. Do I expect and hope that that’s going to happen in the future? I hope so,” Cate continued. “But we’re dealing with what we have this year, and our role in the next almost two weeks is to deal with what is in front of us.”

Some other actors that appeared at the event to honor the best of editing in film, television, and documentaries included Get Out‘s Betty Gabriel, The Goldbergs‘ Sam Lerner, and the event’s host Tichina Arnold.

Amy ended her acceptance speech by talking about a moment she shared with her seven-year-old daughter Aviana, who reminded her about the magic of movies.

“She said, ‘I like movies because they allow my imagination to grow, and they make me feel like I’m dreaming even though I’m awake.’ And I loved that,” Amy said (via Variety). “I wanna thank you all tonight for making me feel like I’m living a dream even though I’m awake.”

The flick, starring Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling, has earned just $74 million in total in the US box office, rendering the film a bit of a disappointment in financial terms.

“As a filmmaker, I’m not arrogant,” Denis told Vulture. “People put a lot of money in the movie to allow me to make something like Blade Runner. They trusted me, and they gave me a lot of freedom, and they are friends. So of course I want the movie to be a success at the end of the day. It’s a long journey, but I want them not to lose money.”

Pictured: Harrison joining his co-stars Ana de Armas and Sylvia Hoeks, as well as director Denis at their Blade Runner 2049 press conference held at the Ritz-Carlton on Monday (October 23) in Tokyo, Japan.